Over recent years, the new cars you can buy, lease or contract hire have been packed with an ever-increasing amount of clever technology. From automated parking to voice control, new cars are as intelligent as they have ever been.
Now, a leading car manufacturer is set to introduce traffic light recognition to its models. This means that the next car you drive under a leasing agreement could be able to identify when traffic lights are about to change and help you avoid sitting at a red light. Keep reading to find out more…
Traffic light recognition system could reduce CO2 emissions by 15 per cent
Leading German manufacturer Audi is set to help you avoid lengthy delays at traffic lights by introducing advanced traffic light recognition technology. The new system could make driving through towns and cities far more fuel efficient as well as helping you to avoid unnecessary delays at red lights.
Audi Online traffic light information harnesses the power of in-car internet in a new way and establishes a link between your car and the traffic light network in each town or city. It quickly assimilates the automated traffic light change sequences in your vicinity and, on the approach to a set of lights, your car’s Driver Information System (DIS) located in the central instrument cluster will display the speed you need to be travelling in order to pass through the light during a green phase. It also displays a visual aid using red, amber or green icons.
Photo credit: William Warby
If you are already waiting at a red light, Audi’s system will calculate and count down the time remaining until the next green light is scheduled to appear via a timer on the DIS. The system also interacts with your car’s Start-Stop function to ensure the engine is switched on five seconds before the green phase.
Audi calculates that this traffic light interaction has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 15 per cent, and could save approximately 900 million litres of fuel annually if it were to be deployed throughout Germany.
System set to arrive in the next Audi you lease or contract hire
The Audi system is now fully functional system and could be fitted to every Audi model in the range subject to the necessary government legislation.
The manufacturer recently demonstrated the technology in an Audi A6 saloon on the busy Las Vegas freeways. Comprehensive testing continues in the Nevada city and in the northern Italian city of Verona,
25 Audi customers are also driving cars fitted with the new system in Berlin. Here, up to 1,000 traffic lights are linked to the system.
The online traffic light recognition system is part of a range of new technology soon to arrive in Audi models. The company has demonstrated developments in automated parking and driving this year with an Audi A7 Sportback able to drive fully autonomously in moving traffic.
Another immersive innovation is the Audi Smart Display, an Android-based tablet that allows you to interact with in-car controls but can also be used as a standalone portable device in the home or on the move.